Sport

Bromley 3 Bishop's Stortford 2

Bromley came from two goals down in their final home fixture of the regular season to win with three second-half goals against Bishop’s Stortford on Bank Holiday Monday afternoon.

In a dire first half in which both sides looked as though the end of season could not come fast enough, it was Bromley who enjoyed most of the territorial play but lacked the passion or determination to make the final pass count.

There was no goalmouth incidents for either side until Harry Baker got clear for the visitors in the 24th minute, but Joe Welch was quickly out of his goal and the winger put a good chance wide.

Brendan Kiernan’s shot two minutes later was of poor quality, and did not trouble the visiting goalkeeper.

The visitors opened the scoring on 44 minutes when Michael Richens converted a free-kick from 20 yards, after Adam Bailey-Dennis had committed an unnecessary foul on Sam Cutler.

Bromley were unlucky not to have equalised one minute later, as Ashley Nicholls’s 30-yard volley was brilliantly tipped over by visiting goalkeeper Joe Wright.

Bromley fell further behind in the 48th minute when full-back Johnny Herd was allowed to wriggle his way into the area to unleash an unstoppable volley past an exposed Welch.

Bradley Goldberg wasted a good opportunity to reduce the arrears, but shot wide from six yards; before the introduction of Louis Dennis for Kiernan turned the game on its head in the 57th minute.

With his first touch of the ball his shot caused problems in the Stortford defence, and Jay May pounced to hammer home from eight yards to reduce the deficit.

On 63 minutes Jack Holland was bundled over by Callum McNaughton and the Referee pointed to the spot indicating a penalty, but after booking the centre-half, he consulted with his Assistant and changed his mind to a free-kick outside the area.

Rob Swaine’s header was parried by Wright and May’s follow-up shot was blocked, before Bromley equalised on 77 minutes. Danny Waldren’s long crossfield pass fell to Joe Anderson, whose centre was met by Elliott Buchanan, and his shot from the edge of the area was not held by Wright and Goldberg nipped into level from close range.

Bromley clinched the points with three minutes remaining when Anderson’s free-kick picked out Waldren, and his flicked header lifted the ball over the advancing goalkeeper to drop neatly into the net.